


Colder’n Guai on This Boat

by Miss_M



Category: Firefly
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Huddling for Warmth (sort of)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-22 18:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9620720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_M/pseuds/Miss_M
Summary: Kaylee plans to spend some quality time withSerenity. She gets more company than she bargained for.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brutti_ma_buoni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brutti_ma_buoni/gifts).



> This is a treat, set between “The Message” and the Big Damn Movie. I own nothing.

“We got us some economizin’ to do,” the Cap’n said that afternoon. 

They was between jobs. Money were tighter’n a girdle on a fancy dress ( _Kaylee knew all ‘bout that, her ball dress from Persephone was awful pretty, just a tad tight ‘round the middle_ ). The Cap’n decided that warmth was less pressin’ than food or clean water. They’d keep the air circulatin’ and _Serenity_ fueled, but the thermostats had to get turned down. Either that, or make the last of their protein and rice stretch to less’n nine people needed to keep body and soul together.

Kaylee picked up that turn of phrase from her daddy. The Cap’n always frowned when she used it. He didn’t believe in souls. Still, he wouldn’ta put any soul off his ship when the sailin’ got rough, so maybe the Cap’n had more in common with Kaylee’s daddy than he woulda cared to admit. 

The thermostats got turned down. Way down. 

Zoe and Wash were keepin’ warm in their bunk. 

The Cap’n was on the flight deck, sittin’ in the pilot’s chair, wearin’ a gray sweater over his shirt and braces. He told Kaylee he was runnin’ system checks, lookin’ for other things they could turn off to save fuel without killin’ theirselves in the process. Kaylee saw by the hunch of his shoulders he was worried, calculatin’ in his head how much money would stay in their pockets if he flipped this switch or that switch. She offered to keep him company, but the Cap’n pulled together one of his kind smiles and told her to run along and keep warm, ‘stead of tryin’ to distract him from his broodin’. 

Inara, Simon, River, and Shepherd Book were gonna keep theirselves warm in Inara’s shuttle, with jasmine tea and rounds of Tall Card. Inara invited Kaylee to join them, but Kaylee begged off, sayin’ Tall Card was better played with four players than with five. 

Well, that weren’t exactly a lie, but it weren’t the truth of why Kaylee didn’t stay, neither. 

A part of her wished she’d joined in, ‘round the carved little table, with Inara elegant even in cable knit and pourin’ the sweet-smellin’ tea, and Book teachin’ Simon how not to be terrible at Tall Card, and River proclaimin’ from inside her thermal sleepin’ bag that the first parts of the human body hypothermia would damage were fingers, toes, and nose. 

Kaylee touched her nose as she walked down the central corridor, past everyone’s bunks: it felt cold, no more so than normal, with the air so chilly all ‘round. 

Kaylee would check on _Serenity_. The Cap’n could do it from the pilot’s chair, but Kaylee needed to be in the engine room. She needed to listen to the chuggin’ of the engine, the vibrations in the walls, the hum of the nothingness outside against the somethingness inside the hull. She needed to be alone with _her_ ship, the ship as only she knew her.

She also kept her hammock in the engine room, which was bound to be nicer than the rest of the ship, what with the engines givin’ off extra warmth. She could sleep there.

She could, ‘cept there were a large man with an orange and yellow hat on his head, curled up in Kaylee’s hammock.

Jayne sat up straight when he heard Kaylee come in and stop just inside the engine room door. He tried to get up right quick. The hammock swayed and dumped him, cursin’, on the floor. 

“Jayne! Are you all right?” 

He shook Kaylee’s hand off his shoulder and picked hisself up. His hat was all askew.

“Thought you was with Mal,” Jayne muttered, glarin’ at the floor past Kaylee’s feet. 

“I wanted to check on _Serenity_. Is something the matter with your bunk?”

Jayne shrugged. “Too cold. It’s colder’n _guai_ on this boat.” 

Kaylee looked with longin’ at her hammock. _Serenity_ hummed. 

“You could go play cards with Inara and them others,” Kaylee said, feelin’ mean for tryin’ to get rid of Jayne but also really wantin’ to be alone with the ship. 

Jayne’s scowl darkened. “Not if that girl’s still goin’ on ‘bout body parts fallin’ off from cold. I told her to knock it off over dinner, then she starts in on how men’s and women’s bodies differ in shape and res… resp… respondiveness to cold.” He looked ‘bout equal parts pained and annoyed. “That’s just baitin’.” 

Kaylee couldn’t help it: she giggled at the memory of River serenely talkin’ ‘bout men’s and women’s bits while Jayne clutched his fork and growled across the table at her to hold her tongue. 

Kaylee coughed, covered her mouth with her hand. “I ain’t laughin’ at you, Jayne,” she said. “Honest.”

He didn’t look convinced. 

Kaylee sighed, looked ‘round at the engine room, the gently thrummin’ ceiling and bulkheads, the engines, workin’, workin’ to keep ‘em all alive. 

“Why don’t you fetch your futon and blanket, and I’ma get in my hammock, and we can camp here for the night?” Kaylee offered. “Be warmer than anywhere else on the ship right now.”

Jayne looked at her steady for a moment, then he grinned. “Not if I join Zoe and Wash in their bunk. Be warmer there.”

Kaylee burst into genuine laughter. “Lemme know if you attempt it, and I’ll keep Simon close, just in case.”

“Naw.” Jayne ducked his head, still grinnin’. “Zoe’d snap my neck. Be no time for your pretty doctor to patch me up.”

Kaylee let the teasin’ ‘bout Simon go, while Jayne straightened his hat and pulled it low over his ears. “I’ll get my futon and a bottle o’grog.” He fairly ran down the corridor to his bunk.

Kaylee climbed into her hammock, sighin’ happily. Jayne would be back soon, fillin’ up space in the engine room with his voice and his braggin’ and his bulk. Kaylee didn’t mind. She put out her hand, rested it against the bulkhead, closed her eyes, and felt _Serenity_ thrum through her palm, down her arm, all the way down to her toes, strong and steady as a heart beatin’, the engines and the ship and the other people occupyin’ it, all workin’ together.

**Author's Note:**

>  _guai_ – hell


End file.
